


Not My Type

by randomfandomimagine



Series: Imagines (Reader Insert) [50]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Flirting, Other, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-04 11:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20470481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine
Summary: Steve may need a little help with one of his classes, and Y/N is willing to give it to him. The two might just end up being more than just ‘study buddies’, though.





	Not My Type

The bell rang, signalizing the end of the class. I gathered my things and stood up, heading for the door to go to my next class. However, I stopped myself when I realized something.

Steve was resting his forehead against the desk in what seemed an exasperated gesture. I tilted my head and cleared my throat. He looked up, bearing a look of utter helplessness and dismay that went along well with his body language. His brows furrowed as he looked at me in expectation.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked him, worried about his demeanor.

“Yeah…” He sighed, leaning back on the chair with a pout. “I’m fine”

“What’s wrong then, Steve?”

“Nothing… I just suck at this subject” My eyes immediately moved to the exam that rested over his desk, but he quickly turned it around so I couldn’t see its contents. “No big deal”

To take importance out of it, he showed me a smile that didn’t quite convince me. That sad look he bore reminded me of a puppy and made me want to cheer him up.

I absently looked up to realize everyone else had already left the classroom. Then I picked up my own paper and looked at it for a moment when he curiously watched me, even if still a little feebly.

“I got an A…” I shrugged a little, holding my paper up to prove it.

“Congratulations” He bitterly said, standing up from his seat and taking a step. However, he stopped himself and turned back to me. “Sorry, I am actually happy for you, I just…”

“What I meant is…” I chuckled at the fact that he hadn’t gotten it at first. “I could give you a hand. You know, be study buddies?”

“Study buddies?” He was a bit surprised, and I didn’t really blame him.

We had many classes together and we had spoken every now and then. We had even been in more than one group project together too. But we weren’t really close enough to hang out outside of school.

“If you want” I rolled my eyes, feeling a little silly for suggesting it. “I mean…”

“You would do that?” Steve exclaimed in excitement. “That’s so nice of you, Y/N!”

“Sure, I would hate to know you failed English” I smiled at him, earning a smile back. “Especially if I could do something about it”

“That would be great!” Fidgeting around, he absently fixed his hair. “Seriously, thank you!”

“See you at the library?” I asked him, tilting my head. “Five o’clock”

“I’ll be there!” Now more lively, he grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder.

“Great” I nodded as we both walked outside the classroom.

“Thanks, Y/N!” He touched my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re the best!”

I watched him run off, smiling to myself. I was definitely curious to see what happened on the afternoon.

-

When we met at the library, we went right to business. I briefly turned to add another book to the pile Steve was carrying. He didn’t say anything as he continued following me. I let my eyes wander around the shelves, searching for any useful books.

“Hey!” Steve complained behind me. He probably noticed the last book’s cover. “How is this helpful to me?”

“Um…” I played dumb as I kept on walking and dragging my finger through the spines.

“This is one’s for you, isn’t it?” There was a certain amusement in his voice. “One of those books you’re always talking about”

I grinned when he nudged the books against my back. Being coy and innocent, I shrugged a little.

“It’s just some light reading” I playfully pouted at him over my shoulder. “Since we’re here”

“I can’t believe you” He scoffed, going along with my playfulness. “You’re supposed to be helping me study”

“I am, I promise!”

“No, you’re using me as an excuse to come pick up a lame fantasy book”

“Well…”

“You’re gonna have to make up for it”

I turned around and faced him, lifting a suspicious brow at him. He dedicated me a charming and somewhat cute grin.

“Wanna go out sometime?” His unexpected offer caused me to laugh so loudly in the middle of the loud silence that people shushed me. For a moment I forgot I was in a librray.

I grabbed another book to add it to his pile and looked him right in the eye. His grin didn’t falter.

“Nice try, Harrington” I played along, pushing my hair away from my face.

“What, why?” He hurried to catch up with me as I left the room and headed for the reception. “I’m good-looking, you’re good-looking…”

I shook my head at how silly he was being. In the few times we had talked, I noticed he was always goofying around like that, so I always followed along. I did, however, feel my cheeks burning at the compliment. I was glad I was facing my back to him in case I was blushing.

“No offense, Steve” I muttered as I calmly arrived to the counter. “But you’re not my type”

I stood at the queue, waiting for people to be done checking their books in or out.

“Not your…” He stuttered, apparently too offended to even speak. “What do you mean I’m not your type?”

I shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it, I just wasn’t attracted to him. Not that he was being serious anyway.

“That hurt me, Y/N” He frowned in a phony sobbing voice. “That hurt me right here”

When he pointed to his chest, I had to chuckle at his stupidity because he almost dropped all of the books while he did. He smiled in response, a soft genuine smile. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized why he was so popular. Or had been.

We were now next in queue, and Steve slammed the books on the counter. I had to sniffle a chuckle when the noise resonated all around the room. He looked around in embarrassment, receiving some glares from studying or reading people, and just smiled politely at them.

“Smooth, Harrington” I teased him, to which he glared at me.

“Card?” The librarian tiredly asked, holding her hand up.

“Oh, uh…” Steve stuttered, staring at the woman.

“Here it is” I said, offering her mine before turning to him. “You better return them on time”

“Thanks” Once the lady was done checking the books out, he picked them up again. “I will, Scout’s honor”

I chuckled, knowing he had not been a Scout, but ignored him.

As we said goodbye to the receptionist, I was about to go get us a table. But Steve’s hand tapped my arm to catch my attention.

“Maybe we should go somewhere else” He muttered over the loud silence. “Somewhere we can actually talk”

“Where can we go?”

“How about my place? My folks aren’t home”

I thought about it for a moment. Ultimately, it was probably for the best. Anywhere else, like a park, would be too loud and crowded. My parents were home and I didn’t want to randomly bring him, so it was our best option.

“Okay” 

“Cool, my car is not far”

He nodded towards the door and we both headed outside, Steve still carrying the books himself. We were walking together to where he had parked the car when he suddenly stopped.

“What’s-?” Before I could even ask, I got my answer.

“Hello there, ladies” Steve greeted a group of girls that passed by. He sent them an attractive grin that surprised me.

They flirtatiously giggled in response. In an attempt to wave at them, Steve then dropped all the books. The girls laughed again, this time at his clumsiness, before walking away.

“You okay over there, Steve?” I crouched down to help him pick up the books.

“Yeah” He nonchalantly replies, quickly taking the books back from me.

I smiled to myself, noticing how he pushed a tuft of hair away from his eyes with a head movement. There was a pronounced blush on his cheeks.

“See you around!” Steve exclaimed to the girls. They were already a bit far.

I chuckled in amusement and shook my head. We continued walking in silence, but I stared at him. Why was it so important for him to impress some girls he didn’t even know?

“Why are you staring at me?” Steve inquired, demanding an answer.

“Oh, nothing” I calmly told him with a playful shrug. “Nothing at all, Romeo”

“No, no, you’re judging me” He nodded his head to reinforce his affirmation.

“Not at all, Mr. Cool Guy” To soften my teasing, I sweetly smiled at him.

Steve shook his head, handing me the books for a moment. It was then when I realized we had arrived back to his car. He pulled out the keys and unlocked it.

We both got in –me resting the books over my lap –and secured our seatbelts. Then Steve started the car and turned the radio on to some rock music.

Before he pulled out of the parking spot, he turned to me and gave me a cute smile. I smiled in return, appreciating those endearing gestures of his. They seemed genuine, but felt so unlike him. Or rather, unlike the preconception I had of him.

Everyone, included myself, saw him as King Steve. The popular kid. The handsome and charming boy. The one that always got his way. The one everybody loved. Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington.

I saw him differently. Not the cool guy that tried to gather the attention of some pretty girls that walked by. But the guy that got nervous about it and dropped the books he was holding. And that was the boy I was interested in, that I kind of wanted to be my friend.

I knew things had changed with him. A while back, he would have made fun of me for loving books so much. Probably would have called me a nerd or something. But now he was really cool about it, even to the point of showing interest about my love for them whenever it came up in our sporadic conversations. It made me want to know Steve. The _real_ Steve Harrington.

“Hey, Steve?” I broke the silence only interrupted by the music.

“Yeah”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did”

“I-“ I was about to retaliate, but the smirk that appeared on his lips turned soft.

“Sorry, go ahead” Not taking his eyes off the road, he kindly patted my knee.

“I’m just curious… Why did you stop hanging out with Tommy H. and Carol?”

He took a bit to reply, and when he did it was slightly hesitant.

“Well… We were friends since we were little” His fingers tapped on the steering wheel. Then he shrugged and continued talking. “Until I realized they were… assholes”

“Took you long enough” I joked, remembering how they always made fun of everyone.

Including me, since I usually preferred the company of a god book over anyone. They always said I was a weirdo who had no friends. At first I defended myself saying I had friends, but Jonathan Byers wasn’t good enough for them. And after that, when I began to get along with Nancy, that didn’t help either. So I eventually stopped caring. I let them think whatever they wanted about me.

“Yeah” Steve chuckled, bringing me back to reality. 

His eyebrows furrowed, and he stirred in the seat. If it weren’t because he was driving, I would have expected him to turn his back to me. I decided to lighten up the tension. It wasn’t my intention to make things awkward. I asked because I was genuinely curious.

“Or maybe you were as big of an asshole”

“Wh-“ His eyes fell over me instantly, but I smiled at him.

Seeing my genuine and playful smile, he did too. His shoulders immediately relaxed, and he laughed a little.

-

Steve nodded with enthusiasm, shoving a cookie into his mouth. I took another one, glad that he had the wonderful idea to recharge fuel by eating some snacks.

Somehow, our session study had become a rant about my favorite books. One moment we were reading the books we took from the library, taking notes about essay writing, and suddenly he was listening in awe as I told him about the fantasy and science fiction tropes.

“Oh, like that Terminator movie!” He said with a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

“Yeah…” I rolled my eyes a little. “There’s time travel in that too”

“Nice” When he was finished wolfing it down, he reached for another one.

I took the plate away from his reach and cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Enough talking about me, we were studying and…” I stopped midsentence when a suspicion grew in my mind. “Oh, you’re sneaky, Harrington”

“What?” He asked with an angelical expression that I didn’t buy.

“You had me rambling as means of procrastination!”

“I would never!”

“You doofus”

I rolled my eyes at him again when he casually stood up from the chair and plopped down on his bed. I turned to look at him as he smirked, placing his arms behind his head.

Grabbing the plate, I threw a cookie at him. I laughed when he tried to catch it with his mouth. He missed. Then he scrambled around the folds of the duvet to grab it and eat it.

“That’s low…” I muttered, eating another cookie myself.

“I was genuine enjoying hearing you talk, though” Steve assured from the bed, speaking with his mouth full. “About your fantasy books and stuff”

“Sure you were” Seeing as the study session was over, I began tidying the messy desk.

“I was! You love books so much, it’s great”

“Not that again…”

“What?” He grinned with that flirtatious smolder that he seemed to have perfected. “You’re cute, I’m cute”

I paused, finishing putting some order into the mess of books, papers and pens. Then I turned to him and tiredly tilted my head.

“Not my type” I only said, standing up and already going for the door.

“Give me a good reason” Steve jumped to his feet, taking me by the arm.

“For starters, there’s more to life than being in a relationship” I softly pushed him away, going for the door to leave. “And besides, what’s the point of one if there are no feelings? Not to mention that we’re supposed to be studying instead of flirting”

“I… Well…” He tilted his head, not knowing how to respond to that.

“So my job here is done” I turned the doorknob and walked into the hallway. “That reason enough for you?”

Steve called me, immediately following after me. I laughed at his goofiness.

“Enough, you flirt!” I pushed him when he tried to get closer to me.

“Give you a ride home?” He pouted his bottom lip at me, and I had to laugh.

“Okay…” I replied, even if I rolled my eyes. “You nerd…”

Steve Harrington was just annoyingly charming.

-

The bell signalizing the end of the classes rang. The noise echoed around the hallways. I left the class and headed for my locker. However, a certain someone kept popping up in my mind.

I had studied with Steve for weeks. We got so close that some days we didn’t even study, but ended up being lazy instead. I blamed him entirely. But it was fun to just chat with him. He always listened to me when I found myself rambling, often about books. I also ‘put up with him’ as I told him when he began talking about movies. And we often ended up watching one of them in his couch. I had to smile a little at the thought. That doofus had gotten under my skin after all.

We had stopped hanging out as often, though, because of his resit exam. We had become really close, but he was busy doing some hardcore revising on his own.

Almost like he read my mind and noticed I was missing him, he appeared. I had to hold back a smile to his mere presence.

“Y/N!!” I turned when I heard my name being called and I recognized his voice. “Look!!”

I chuckled in surprise when I saw him running my direction, holding up what I assumed was his exam. There was a big red circle drawn on the paper, and inside it was the letter B.

“No way!!” I exclaimed, also noticing a small plus sign next to the grade. “That’s awesome!”

“B+!!” He ran to me, swinging his arms in pure euphoria, until he reached me.

“I’m so happy for you, I-“ I squeaked when he suddenly wrapped his arms around me.

Steve squeezed me against him and lifted me off the ground, no doubt getting carried away. Seemingly unbothered by his outburst, he put me down and smiled widely at me.

“Thank you so much!” He waved the paper in my face like a child. “I couldn’t have done this without you”

“Obviously” I sarcastically replied, but my entire façade crumbled.

In his excitement, Steve had just leaned in and kissed me in the cheek. I couldn’t have foreseen that, neither the butterflies that magically appeared in my stomach.

I chuckled, a bit flustered by the gesture, and absently closed my locker.

I was suddenly reminded of how our hands brushed together in the popcorn bowl whenever we watched a movie together in his house. How we sat so closely that our sides touched. And sometimes I got sleepy and my head fell on his shoulder. How he would smile that beautiful smile and tease me about it. I had to shake those thoughts away.

“Glad I could help, you doofus” I stood there awkwardly, wondering how to act normally.

“We should celebrate it!” He excitedly took my hand in his and tugged at it.

I clenched my jaw, suddenly realizing how many of those gesture we did on a daily basis. They hadn’t bothered me before, but now… Now they awoke feelings me that… That I just wasn’t sure I was ready to face. When did I fall for Steve Harrington?

“Say, why don’t we go out to grab something to eat?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, apparently oblivious to my mental breakdown. “I’m craving a burger”

I hesitated, but the innocent look in his brown eyes broke me. All the tension I had gathered disappeared at the sight of that adorable expression. I chuckled, almost relieved to be by his side.

“Sure” I linked my arm with his, a normal gesture that had different meaning now. “Let’s go get that burger”

“You okay?” He casually asked me as we left the high school building. “I expected you to say something like ‘I’m surprised you were smart enough to pass’ or some shit”

“Maybe I’m just happy for you, stupid” I shrugged, squeezing closer to him. “I’m just in a good mood”

“That’s new” He joked, nudging me a little.

“Shut up” I slapped him in the chest, making him laugh.

But I didn’t separate from him, instead resting my cheek against his upper arm. I felt such a strong urge to be as close to him as possible. Stupid Steve Harrington and his charm.

-

I couldn’t do that anymore. I thought that maybe I was too close to him, that my feelings would fade if I distanced a bit. But even after days of not hanging out with him, not even for our tradition of watching movies together, nothing changed. In fact, I just missed him even more than usual.

So one day I showed up at his house, knowing his parents were out of town again. When he opened the door, he received me in his pijamas.

“Y/N!” His face lit up at the sight of me. A smile spread across his lips.

“Hi” I greeted him, nibbling on my bottom lip.

“Um…” He suddenly blushed, looking down to his outfit, and subtly combed his hair with his fingers. “What are you doing here?”

I shrugged as I frantically searched for a cool thing to say.

“It just felt odd being away from you for so long” I muttered, flustered at the fond look he gave me. I corrected myself, rolling my eyes at him. “I guess I just got too used to your annoying self”

To my surprise, instead of being bothered by it, he laughed. With a flourish, he bowed and stepped to the side. Obliging, I came in and followed after him.

“So…” Steve innocently put his hands behind his back. “What did I do this time?”

“Huh?”

“What did I do, to make you mad?”

“I wasn’t… mad”

“Then why did you… disappear?”

“I didn’t disappear”

Steve arched his eyebrows at me, not buying it. I averted my gaze, feeling my cheeks flushing. I couldn’t just tell him how I felt. For one, I would never hear the end of it. And besides, it wasn’t like he reciprocated.

We didn’t move from the spot for a moment. I could feel his eyes on me still. I just remained quiet until he broke the silence.

“Whatever” He casually put an arm over my shoulders. “I missed you”

“Of course you did” I grinned at him, forcing myself to look into his brown eyes.

“Bet you missed me too, huh?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I pushed him away. 

It all felt slightly awkward and forced, but it was to be expected. We hadn’t seen each other for a week or two. And I wasn’t my usual self around him either.

I distanced myself away from him, navigating through the living room and outdoors. His presence lingered behind me, closely following.

I heaved a sigh as I looked for something to say, something stupid or playful to break the silence. Maybe offering to watch a movie, but which one? I just wanted it not to be awkward.

“You’re acting strange lately, you know?” He randomly said, breaking the painful silence.

“Huh?” I had heard him, but wasn’t expecting him to say anything.

“Did I do something that bothered you or…?” Steve watched me intently.

“I…” I looked away, setting my glance on the pool. “Maybe?”

“Well, shit… Great…” He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Seriously, What did I do now?”

I suppressed a smile, finding even that endearing. I was so frustrated with myself for giving in. What was wrong with me?!

“I just…” I forced myself to lock eyes with him. “It’s when you joke around and flirt with me, I guess it’s gotten old”

“Oh” He chuckled, again, awkwardly. “So that’s why”

“I just… I don’t even know why you keep doing it, it’s not like you mean it” I wrung my hands, avoiding eye contact with him again. “It’s not like you have actual feelings”

“Maybe I do feel something” He replied quickly. Too quickly to have been a joke.

I looked up and into his eyes. They were wide open in panic. He parted his lips, but no sounds came out. My heart was racing at the realization. I had to do something to fix the embarrassment.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” I shoved him a bit, and he smiled in relief.

For a moment, Steve didn’t say anything still. He just looked at me fondly, further confirming those words that just slipped out. But that they were genuine.

“Those are mighty words for someone standing right next to a pool” He finally said, bearing a playful tone.

I looked behind me to realize I was almost at the edge. I must have moved without realizing. I blamed him and the stupid effect he had on me. His closeness was overwhelming, even if comforting and exhilarating.

“Don’t you dare” I pointed a finger at him menacingly.

An evil plan was slowly forming in my mind, and I had to hold back a smirk.

“Or what?” Steve naturally replied, stepping closer.

“Or you’ll regret it” I planted my feet to avoid him forcing me to step back. “You’ll see”

“That’s totally adorable” He mockingly wrinkled his nose at me. “You think you’re intimidating”

“Try me, Harrington” I put my hands on my hips, cocking an eyebrow.

“Okay, Y/L/N” He was cheeky enough to step up again, knowing I would react.

I took a step backwards, too flustered by the closeness. He didn’t even know the effect he had on me and I had to try really hard not to look down to his lips. I hated him so much at that moment. But I would have my revenge.

“No, Steve, I…” I frowned, locking eyes with him. “Seriously, don’t you dare”

“You know what?” He frowned a little, putting his hands on my arms. “You’re right”

I eyed him carefully, not trusting him for a second. I opened my mouth to speak when I recognized the mischievous smirk on his face, but it was too late. 

He pushed me, and I inevitably yelped as I fell into the pool with a loud splash. I sank and barely managed to lift my head to the surface, coughing up water.

“Steve!” I called him, helplessly splashing in the water. “I can’t swim!”

“Oh, shit!!” I heard him muttering right before he dove right in. He didn’t even take his shoes off or anything.

I submerged, but soon I felt Steve’s arms wrapping around me and keeping me afloat. He leaned me against him and held me up. His hair stuck to his face, but he just whipped his head to keep it out of his eyes.

“You okay?” He urged me, gently wiping my wet hair from my forehead. “Y/N, you alright?”

“Just so you know…” I said, pausing and analyzing the panicked expression he bore. “Actual drowning people don’t usually have the time to call for help”

“But…” He mouthed, no actual sounds leaving his lips. “What?!”

I laughed a little, but Steve rolled his eyes. He let go of me, but I held him by the shoulders. Steve was always so calm, cool and collected that it was fun to see him out of his element.

His arms returned to their spot around my frame and he eyed me warily. I gave him an innocent grin, but he shook his head at me.

“I-I… Y/N, you, I’m…” He stuttered, unable to say any coherent words.

“Serves you right, you nerd” I playfully grinned, hoping I didn’t ruin things.

“That wasn’t funny, Y/N!” Steve complained, heaving a shaky sigh.

“It was, a little”

“No, it wasn’t!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have thrown me into the pool”

“I can’t believe you!”

“What, did I scare you? Was little Stevie worried about me?”

“Well, yeah!” He exclaimed, making me chuckle.

“Are you blushing?” I playfully caressed his cheek, but he swatted me away.

Before his hand could leave mine, though, I held on to it. He really wasn’t taking the hint yet, huh.

“What are you doing?” There was still a faint flush on his cheeks, but now his eyebrows were furrowed as well.

“For such a big flirt, you’re pretty oblivious” I smirked in amusement at the effect _I_ had on him.

“What…?” To be honest, the way he frowned was pretty cute. Like a confused puppy, with head tilt and all. My heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“Steve…” I chuckled, spreading my smile to his lips.

“So I _am_ your type, after all” The adorable innocent expression was soon replaced with the usual cool flirty one as he recovered. “I knew it!”

“Not really, you’re just-” Before I could finish my sentence, Steve continued.

“No, yeah, totally! I mean, maybe it’s that you don’t have a type” He scoffed, almost talking to himself now. “Because if you did I would probably be it, I’m everyone’s type! Well, maybe not everyone’s but… I mean, I’m an idiot… I’m just used to people liking me and I wanted _you_ to like me and… shit, that sounded really stupid, huh, I-“

Needing him to shut up already, I put my hand on his nape and shoved him closer to me. His lips had just looked so enticing that I needed to taste them. When they finally pressed against mine, I closed my eyes in pure bliss.

I hadn’t expected to be overcome with so many feelings when we kissed, but if anything, that was further proof that I liked him. A lot. My skin tingled, butterflies flew in my stomach, and the kiss was so wonderful that I didn’t want to stop. We only did when we realized we were gasping for air as we had been passionately moving our lips in sync.

When we did, Steve looked me in the eyes. I chuckled in embarrassment and he grinned. Our foreheads touched, and we infected the laughter to the other in low chuckles.

We lingered in that position for several seconds, gently holding on to each other as we floated in the pool. There were no words, no sounds, just the murmur of our breathing and the soft swaying of the water. Steve and I looked into each other’s eyes, seemingly entranced by what we saw in each other. By the tenderness and adoration in each other’s glances. And it was perfect.


End file.
